2 hours ago you wrote "I think the sound is much more open and cleaner"! and now it's just a small boost! :o Shame on you! :D

Almost everything is a small change with tweak modifications like these from an absolute standpoint; but relatively between the various changes, I would say that comparatively one change might have a much bigger impact on a sonic quality than another change, and in that respect I may word it like "____ is much more _____".

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidsh

Nice anyway. Isn't it hard to attach the pads to the 'phone with the mod? Looking forward to try this

Not if you do exactly what I outlined. Three layers of duct tape is the perfect thickness of "stuff" under the mounting rings that the tabs still fit snugly. Any more/less layers, or if you try a different tape type, will probably upset that fit and make it too loose or too bulky.

Scotty beam me down..i am going in...wish me luck
Jerg..i am going to do the mod in a few minutes..if i am capable to do it..anyone can!
And am also going to do the open can mod u have on ur pair..but first this Edited by hifimanrookie - 1/22/13 at 10:16am

Hey Jerg, would you want to meet this week so we can trade pads for a short time. I'd like to try your pads on my HE-6. I'd lend you my LCD-3 pads so you can give it a go on your HE-500. (Please don't mod my LCD-3 pads!) I think members here would love to get different headphone feedback.

Hey Jerg, would you want to meet this week so we can trade pads for a short time. I'd like to try your pads on my HE-6. I'd lend you my LCD-3 pads so you can give it a go on your HE-500. (Please don't mod my LCD-3 pads!) I think members here would love to get different headphone feedback.

I made another set of Jergpads today from my spare pleather pads. They sound identical except I cannibalized a pair of velour pads for their more transparent dust screen fabric, and transplanted that onto the new Jergpads.

Results are fairly interesting.

The velour dust screen with Jergpads gives the sound more air and upper treble extension, reverbs in music are more apparent. Very hifi-sounding change.

The pleather dust screen on the other hand is no slouch either, it rolls off the treble a bit more, making it smoother and more refined-sounding with a blacker background because the upper registers are a bit more absorbed by the screen.

Those all very directly comparative differences though, kind of a dichotomy. In the bigger scape of how the Jergpads change the sound altogether, these are very small but definitely noticeable.

I just tried (a part of) this mod on the pleather pads I got with my HE-400. I'd been using the velours since I got the headphones, about a week ago. Though I loved the extremely airy treble and detail, I just couldn't live with the tizz/sibilance that just overshadowed everything; that and the lack of bass thump. Pleathers were all warm and muddy, not unpleasant but made my orthos sound like dynamics...

So, I mutilated my pleathers. But I didn't take them apart. After removing the inner ring, I calmly twisted the inside of the pads inside out, going around bit by bit and letting it go back to normal as I progressed, to make the underside appear and cut fairly large holes (larger than the original four, like 2-5mm) around the middle part of the underside, fairly close to each other (2-5mm) and following the 'circle' of the original four all around the pads. I got a pretty clean result actually, and the pads don't feel like they're dangling from the headphones.

It was a revelation. I love what I'm hearing now; fat (a bit too fat actually) low end and bass thump, a great thick but not muddy midrange, and a tamer treble (still has a lot of energy if the track has it). I lost a bit of air but not soundstage or detail, and yes the vocals are in a differnt league now. The evil high frequency tizz seems to be hidden (?) now, at least it's not the only thing I hear anymore.

My only question is: how do you think leaving the flaps, basically not ripping off the back part, affects the sound (only difference between the 'official' mod and what I did since you still use the ring and glue the filter back on; that and less holes for now)? The way I made those holes, they shouldn't be covered by the flaps or most of the mounting ring (outward holes would be covered by the ring anyway, right?), and I can still make more holes in the innermost part of the pads (easier that the holes I already made).

I just tried (a part of) this mod on the pleather pads I got with my HE-400. I'd been using the velours since I got the headphones, about a week ago. Though I loved the extremely airy treble and detail, I just couldn't live with the tizz/sibilance that just overshadowed everything; that and the lack of bass thump. Pleathers were all warm and muddy, not unpleasant but made my orthos sound like dynamics...

So, I mutilated my pleathers. But I didn't take them apart. After removing the inner ring, I calmly twisted the inside of the pads inside out, going around bit by bit and letting it go back to normal as I progressed, to make the underside appear and cut fairly large holes (larger than the original four, like 2-5mm) around the middle part of the underside, fairly close to each other (2-5mm) and following the 'circle' of the original four all around the pads. I got a pretty clean result actually, and the pads don't feel like they're dangling from the headphones.

It was a revelation. I love what I'm hearing now; fat (a bit too fat actually) low end and bass thump, a great thick but not muddy midrange, and a tamer treble (still has a lot of energy if the track has it). I lost a bit of air but not soundstage or detail, and yes the vocals are in a differnt league now. The evil high frequency tizz seems to be hidden (?) now, at least it's not the only thing I hear anymore.

My only question is: how do you think leaving the flaps, basically not ripping off the back part, affects the sound (only difference between the 'official' mod and what I did since you still use the ring and glue the filter back on; that and less holes for now)? The way I made those holes, they shouldn't be covered by the flaps or most of the mounting ring (outward holes would be covered by the ring anyway, right?), and I can still make more holes in the innermost part of the pads (easier that the holes I already made).

Thanks for sharing that! I never thought about turning them inside to not have to cut things off. If I decide to do this mod it will be like this! Thank you

Just so there's no confusion, I didn't like flip the whole pad inside out, I just twisted an inch of fabric at a time inside out (just enough to have access to the underside), and massaged the foam a bit before continuing to the next inch until done. Took me about 30-35 minutes for both pads and I just used kitchen scissors (sore thumb afterwards though).

I might go back and dig another circle of smaller holes in the innermost part in a day or two. What is the effect of more holes, more damping, tighter bass and better treble?

Just so there's no confusion, I didn't like flip the whole pad inside out, I just twisted an inch of fabric at a time inside out (just enough to have access to the underside), and massaged the foam a bit before continuing to the next inch until done. Took me about 30-35 minutes for both pads and I just used kitchen scissors (sore thumb afterwards though).

I might go back and dig another circle of smaller holes in the innermost part in a day or two. What is the effect of more holes, more damping, tighter bass and better treble?

The more holes you do (and the closer they are to the inside) the better the damping is.

I wouldn't say the treble gets better, but midrange will become more open and less muddled. Bass will indeed become tighter by the same logic.

Care to snap a photo and show what your progress is on the pads at the moment? This way I can give more succinct / accurate suggestions.

Very nice written mod Jerg! I love how you implemented all your changes in the first post, now we don't need to scavage all the pages for information.

But what about the felt rings? Did your pads even come with them? Is it just logical to remove them?

Thanks!

What do you mean the felt rings? Those foam insert rings wedged between the undersides of the pads and the nylon screens? Like I explained in the first post ():

"**Quick note: I never kept the foam spacers inside of the stock pleather pads because it 1) compromised the comfort and 2) muddled up the sound considerably into a wonky mess; also it won’t be compatible with this particular mod, so don’t even think about it….just throw it in the garbage right now **"